Apparatus for laying railroad-tracks



(No Model.)

O. R. GOODMAN. APPARATUSIOR LAYING RAILROAD TRACKS.

PatentedJan. 1, 18 4..

I INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY u. wzrcns Fholo-Lllhographur, Washinglon. no

I UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICEQ CHARLES R. GOODMAN, or HAMMOND, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR LAYIN G RAILROAD-TRACKS,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,049, dated January 1,1884.

Application filed May 9, 1883. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern ,Be it known that 1, CHARLES R. GOODMAN, of Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Laying Railroad-Tracks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan view of an' apparatus for laying railroad-tracks embodying my improvement; Fig. '2, a side elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective representation of the clutch-truck for moving the rails; Fig. 4, a perspective representation of the'horse for supporting and lowering the ties; Fig. 5, a sectional perspective view of a pivoted truck which receives theties from the horses, which are shown atFig. at; Fig. 6, an enlarged "iew of the tongs for guiding the rails from the car to the road-bed.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for more speedily and cheaply laying railroad-tracl s.

The nature of the invention, in brief, consists in a traction-truck, which is driven on the graded road-bed by construction-cars running on the laid track, and propelled by an engine on the track, or other power. First,in the rear of the traction-truck is aplatform for supporting and guiding the truck which carries the ties to the front, and supporting the rollers on which the rails are run forward. Back of and attached to 'theplatform mentioned is a construction-car for carrying rails, and it is provided with a track, on which a tie-truck -is moved to the front, and in the rear is a construction-car, also provided with atrack, forming a continuous track from the front to the rear, and on it are placed horses for receiving the ties as they may be needed for use. i The tops of these horses are adjustable vertically, and they are adjusted to their greater heights when the ties are put thereon, so that, where one horse is placed on one side of the track on the car and the other horse on the opposite side thereof, the top portions of the horses can be lowered to bring the ties down on the truck which is to move them to the place where they are to be laid on the road-bed. The body of the truck which carries the ties is pivoted to the truck-frame, so that the ties thereon may be swung in any desired direction for the convenience of handling them, and by means of a stop on the traction-truck, which engages a lever on the tie-truck, the upper portion of the latter (which is vertically adjustable) is lowered and leaves the ties to rest on side frames on the traction-truck, so that the tietruck can be run back to bring forward another load of ties while the first load is being removed from the side frames to the road-bed. A clutch-truck is employed to move rails on the car. Anti-friction rollers are suspended from the platform to guide the rails in their descent, and grappling-tongs are employed to draw the rails forward or back, as required, to lay acontinuous track. These tongs are supported by roll-hangers, which run on a track suspended below the platform, as the -whole is hereinafter more fully described and shown. A

, A represents a tractiontruck, which consists of a suitable frame to support two traction-wheels, B, which travelahead of the track to be laid on the road-bed, and which are guided by an ordinary chain-aud-wheel device, a 12. Between the timbers c c of this truck-frame is formed a space of such a length and width as readily to allow a tie to pass through, and to the rear portion of the truck is attached a platform, C, the rear portion or end of which connects with the forward car. This platform serves as atrack for the tie-truck and rail-clutch truck, and supports brackets f, to which anti-friction rollers c are pivoted, and supports the track to which the tongs Z are hung.

To the car D is coupled car E, and on both cars are laid tracks F, connecting with platform G, to form a continuous track from the front to the rear of the apparatus. Verticallyadjustable horses G H I J are placed on the rear car, D, one on each side of the track. The top parts, G, of these horsesare hung to the main body or bed H by means of pivoted metal straps J J, so that levers I, also pivoted to the main part H, may be manipulated to hold the top part in its elevated position to support the ties as they are loaded thereon from the car, and to lower the top G to let the ties down on the truck K; This truck has four wheels, a strong frame or bed, L, and table P, pivoted to bed L at X, as shown at Fig. 2, and at the enlarged semi-perspective (in section) at Fig. 5, the purpose of which is that the ties may be swung round for the conveniencc of handling them or bringing them properly onto frames or stationary horses It, attached to the top of the traction-truck. An eleiating and depressing frame M is hung to the pivoted bed 1, by means of pivoted straps N, similar in construction to the straps J J 011 the horses, Figs. 1, 2, and l. The lever 0 g is pivoted to the bed I, so that by its manipulation, by stop (I, the frame M will be lowered and the ties thereon will be transferred to the horses R. This is done by the moving truck coming against the said stop, which is a stationary fixture on the traction-truck, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. In this movement the lower end, ,1, of the lever strikes against the stop (2, raising up the frame M first, and then throwing it forward and down below the tops of horses R and leaving the ties thereon prepara tory to placing the ties on t'ze roadbed and returning the tie-truck.

, The mechanism for moving the rails on the ears consists of parts 71, i, m, n, n, and '0. i 71. m is the truck proper, n a are the forward tongs, and v the carrying-hooks supported by the frame m. To use this truck, the wheels i are placed on the track F F, the rear end of the truck elevated for thetongsn n to grasp the rails to be moved near their forward ends. The rear end of the truck is then lowered till the hooks 'v v are brought under the back portion of the rails. The positions of the rails are shown at Figs. 1 and 2, and at Fig. 3, dotted lines '10, the truck being shown enlarged and removed from the track. \Vhere two rails are being moved forward from the car D at a time, it is frequently necessary that one rail should be moved faster than the other, that the rear ends of the rails being handled may be, respectively, brought to the forward ends of the rails previously laid on the ties. This is done by the roller S being made in two or more sections, so each section can have an independent motion. The rails are moved from roller S down on rollers c, and then, by means of tongs Z, are carried to the desired posit-ion on the ties. These tongs are hung by roll-hangers j to a track, 7;, and may be moved either forward or back. from platform C by brackets r.

To use the apparatus, a portion of the track is first laid by hand and the ears placed on it, and the tractiontruck A placed in front of the track so laid. Ties are then placed on the tops G of the horses, said parts being elevated. The tie-truck is then run in between the horses on car l), with the frame M elevated. The tops G of the horses are then lowered by the levers I and the ties transferred to the tie-truck and then lowered onto the stationary horses 1%, as stated.

After a section of track has been laid the apparatus is to be moved forward by a locomotive or other power.

In practice the platform 0 is to be uncoupled for the return of the cars for ties and rails.

I claim as new-- 1. The traction-truck A, connected to the ear D by means of platform 0, for forming aeontinnous track from the car E to the traction-truck A, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The horses on the car E, constructed with adjustable bearers G G, in combination with the tie-carrying truck, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

3. The tie-carrying truck, provided with a pivoted bed or table,,P, and the bed combined with the elevating and depressing frame M, lever O stop (Z, and horses R on tractiontruck A, as specified. 4. Therail-truck i h 71:, combined with hooks 1; 2:, and tongs n w for moving rails from the ear I) to rollers S c c.

5. The tongs Z Z, provided with roll-hanger j, in combination with track 7:, attached to platform C, and rollers c c S, as specified and shown.

CHARLES R. GOODMAX. \Vi tnesses:

G. L. CIIAPIN, A. (t. Momzv.

The track 70 is suspended 

